A Merry Chase
by C0nt0rt3dm1nd
Summary: As I looked to him before going under, him in his flawless suit and practically ironed tie with his pitch-black hair so neatly flattened against his scalp—oh, how I would love to run my fingers through that perfect hair—I hear the last words he says to us. -Arthur/Ariadne.-


**A Merry Chase**

The moment I woke up from that _first_ shared dream I knew my life had changed forever.

No, that's not right. I knew my life had changed forever when my favorite professor introduced me to his son in law, Mr. Dominic Cobb.

I knew I'd need to get a job soon, being a graduate student with bills to pay, but I never expected the perfect option to come find me. To say that it was the best option is a lie, but if given the chance to do everything again I would have it no other way. I'd never _dreamed_ I could do something as fascinating as what Cobb introduced me to. Before I could blink I was literally thrust into an entire new world. First a simple conversation, then my world began exploding around me.

Next thing I knew I was on a lawn chair inside a warehouse. The first feeling that went through me was fear, obviously since I was in a _warehouse_ with some box that was attached to my wrist through tubes of a sort; not to mention I was surrounded by a man that I barely knew and another who I didn't know at all. The second and third were mixtures of confusion and shock, which I let completely show.

"_Hey, hey, look at me. You're ok, you're ok."_

The first words I truly heard after my first shared dream. So many firsts, I'm not surprised I returned to these people. _An idea may be the most resilient parasite, but the most memorable parasites are firsts. _Well of course I was curious, curious about the job; however, the curiosity for my coworkers helped me find my way back.

Don't get me wrong, Cobb definitely knew much more about the process than Arthur, but for some reason I prefer when the Point Man explains things to me.

When the idea of a totem reached my mind, I had no idea what mine would be. I had seen Cobb's top and the loaded die that Arthur used, but those didn't immediately bring any ideas. When I went home for what I had a feeling would be one of the last times for a _long time_, I looked around until something caught my eye. I brought the old chessboard down from my bookcase and set it in front of me. The pieces had moved around a bit and I picked up a random piece. Not a pawn, there were far too many of those; not a king or a queen either, those were the obvious choices. No, for some reason I was drawn to the bishop: the right hand man to the rulers.

The time prior to the Fischer Job went by quickly, yet oh so slowly at the same time. During those times I couldn't help but let my eyes wander to the _always _immaculately dressed Point Man. I was as discreet as I could be, so I doubted he knew. Only once did he catch me mid-glance, but that's only because he was looking back at me.

When time actually came for us to get on that plane, I had had a better idea at what I was getting into—probably more so than the others.

The moment I was brought into the dream I recognized that it would be different from previous times. Cobb then told us about the sedatives and a new flash of fear went through my mind: I guess I never realized the real dangers of performing an Inception, and it really didn't help that the man we were planting the idea in was trained to defend exactly that. I kept my thoughts to myself as we went into the second level.

That particular level went by far too quickly, in my opinion.

Arthur and I sat on the couch in the front lobby, both of us in suits. I looked around at all the projections staring at us and, seeing one send a specifically evil glance towards us, questioned Arthur.

"_The subconscious is looking for the dreamer."_

My mind went straight to our plans, trying to remember in a state of panic who this level…

"_Me."_

I felt idiocy then. What the hell, Ariadne, you obviously knew that detail. Before I could process the thoughts, Arthur continued.

"_Quick, give me a kiss."_

That sentence surprised me so much I just naturally leaned over. I had no rational thoughts when he said that—it was an abrupt kiss and sadly it came to an abrupt end because of me: idiotic me who didn't put the pieces together quickly enough. His soft lips slid across my cheek as I turned my head to look around at the projections, I faced him again.

"_They're still looking at us."_

Obviously they were.

"_Yeah, it was worth a shot."_

Naturally, _that's when it clicked. _He looked away from me, and I couldn't do anything to let him know that I'd liked that. I'd liked everything about that moment: the feel of his lips against my own, the warmth that spread throughout my confused mind, and the feeling of safety in this strange environment. But time had to move on.

We walked quickly to a room where he prepared for the kick. I watched him work and I turned away casually every time he looked down to me. It went by too fast.

In the hotel room with the others I sat in a chair, mentally prepared to go down another level. I listened to Cobb and Eames as they reminded Arthur what to do. As I looked to him before going under, him in his flawless suit and practically ironed tie with his pitch-black hair so neatly flattened against his scalp—oh, how I would love to run my fingers through that perfect hair—I hear the last words he says to us.

"_And I will lead them on a merry chase."_

As the next level greeted me, I realized the projections weren't the only ones he would lead on a chase.

**A/N: I do not own Inception. Shocking, I know. Please review, tell me if you enjoyed it, etc.. I love hearing your opinions and value all thoughts. **

**Thanks for reading!**


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